Modern Japanese Wakizashi, signed "Mikami Sadanao saku kore" (三上貞直作之), dated Heisei 28 (2016) — by the Mukansa master Mikami Sadanao

A grand, powerful wakizashi with a dynamic ō-gunome-midare hamon by a Mukansa smith and 7th chairman of the All Japan Swordsmiths' Association — brand-new and flawless, in shirasaya with an NBSK new-sword certificate

Inheriting the technique and spirit of his master, the Living National Treasure and second-generation Gassan Sadaichi, Mikami Sadanao (三上貞直) rose to the highest rank a living smith can hold — mukansa (exhibition-exempt). The fervent passion concealed behind his calm, monk-like demeanor is realized here in a large, imposing blade figure and a hamon of tremendous power. Made by a master esteemed even for his restorations and faithful copies of National Treasure blades, this is a masterwork wakizashi standing at the very summit of contemporary sword-making.

On the smith — Sadanao (貞直)

His real name is Mikami Takanori (三上孝德). Born in 1955, he entered the workshop of the Living National Treasure, the second-generation Gassan Sadaichi (then active in Nara), in 1974 at the age of nineteen. He received his swordsmith certification in 1980 and established the Mikami Sadanao Japanese Sword Forging Dōjō in Kita-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture. From 1981 he won a host of awards at the Shinsaku Meitō-ten (New Masterpiece Sword Exhibition) — including the Takamatsu-no-miya Prize (twice) and the Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner's Prize (twice) — and in 1995 he was recognized as a Mukansa smith, the highest rank in the modern sword world. Designated a Holder of Hiroshima Prefecture Intangible Cultural Property and a Japanese Sword Master Craftsman, in 2013 he became the 7th chairman of the All Japan Swordsmiths' Association, succeeding Yoshihara Kuniie. He is one of the representative master smiths of our time, particularly renowned for his Sōden-Bizen workmanship.

Selected career highlights:

• 1974 — Entered the workshop of the Living National Treasure, 2nd-generation Gassan Sadaichi, at age 19
• 1980 — Received swordsmith certification; opened the Mikami Sadanao Sword Forging Dōjō
• 1981 — First entry to the Shinsaku Meitō-ten (to 1995: 7 special prizes, 4 awards, 4 selections)
• 1989 — Took part in the restoration of the famed spear "Nihongō" for the 400th anniversary of Hiroshima Castle
• 1995 — Recognized as a Mukansa (exhibition-exempt) master smith
• 2005 — Helped launch the All Japan Swordsmiths' Association's 1st Omamori-gatana Exhibition; participated in the Murakumo-kai Paris exhibition
• 2006 — Designated a Holder of Hiroshima Prefecture Intangible Cultural Property
• 2011 — Hiroshima Cultural Prize; Hiroshima Prefecture Regional Culture Contributor Award
• 2013 — Became the 7th chairman of the All Japan Swordsmiths' Association

Workmanship and condition

The jigane is a fine, cleanly packed ko-itame (small wood-grain) ground gracefully mixed with flavorful mokume (burl). Drawn out through painstaking forging, the steel is dense and crystal-clear, thickly and evenly covered with fine ji-nie that gives it a deep expression — an exquisite beauty coexisting with a complex, powerful steel character. Over it is tempered a bold, continuous ō-gunome-midare (large undulating pattern) of pronounced peaks and valleys. The nie lie thickly, and the interior of the hamon is richly filled with complex, vivid activity such as kinsuji (bright lines) and sunagashi (streaming sand). Never yielding to the strong presence of the steel, the powerful temper line pulses with an intense brilliance when it catches the light. The blade is brand-new, as-made, with no flaws or rust of any kind.

Form

A large, grand, and imposing wakizashi of shinogi-zukuri form with a broad base and healthy body, fitted with a bō-hi (groove). At 37.8 cm of edge with a 0.7 cm curvature, it has the confident, powerful presence of a first-class modern blade — substantial for a wakizashi.

The mounting (shirasaya)

The blade is preserved in a plain honoki-wood shirasaya (resting scabbard), the traditional way of keeping a fine sword in ideal condition and letting its steel and temper line be appreciated without distraction.

In short, this is a flawless, freshly forged wakizashi by one of the great mukansa masters of our time — a superb, densely forged ground, a bold and dynamic ō-gunome-midare, and the authority of a smith who leads the modern sword world. A supreme collection piece to be cherished for a lifetime, and an ideal companion to a Sadanao katana.

Specifications

• Type: Wakizashi (脇差), shinogi-zukuri with bō-hi
• Smith: Mikami Sadanao (三上貞直), Mukansa; Aki Province (Hiroshima)
• Signature (mei): Omote — "Mikami Sadanao kore o tsukuru" (三上貞直作之); Ura — "Heisei nijūhachinen nagatsuki" (平成二十八年長月 / the 9th month, Heisei 28 = 2016)
• Jigane: Fine, cleanly packed ko-itame mixed with mokume, abundant ji-nie
• Hamon: Bold, continuous ō-gunome-midare of pronounced peaks and valleys; thick nie with abundant kinsuji and sunagashi
• Length of edge (nagasa): 37.8 cm (approx. 14.88 in / approx. 1 shaku 2 sun 5 bu)
• Curvature (sori): 0.7 cm (approx. 0.28 in)
• Width at base (motohaba): 32.0 mm (approx. 1.26 in)
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 5.4 mm (approx. 0.21 in)
• Peg holes (mekugi-ana): 1
• Weight (blade only): 277 g
• Condition: Brand-new, as-made; no flaws or rust
• Mounting: Shirasaya (plain honoki wood)
• Certification: NBSK (Nihontō Bunka Shinkō Kyōkai) new-sword certificate (shinsakutō shōmeisho)
• Registration No.: Hiroshima No. 62936 (広島 第62936号)